This pandemic took things from us.
Sometimes I feel “lucky”…I do not know anyone who has passed from COVID-19, I didn’t have to miss my own graduation or cancel a wedding.
The loved one this pandemic took from me is my sister, who moved to California in 2019. Travel restrictions and concerns about exposure has made it near-impossible for us to visit. I miss her.
This pandemic has given us things as well. Time at home, reasons to connect online, and new hobbies for many.
Circumstances of the pandemic prevented me from traveling this summer with the Global Health Program, and prevented my current partner from moving to California in April. This pandemic brought around the circumstances that allowed us to meet. We formed a friendship first, facetiming for hours in lieu of a more traditional first date. A bright sunflower now adorns the wall where we both work from home.
One of my creative endeavors during quarantine has been watercolors. I love creating a picture with the different colors, only to watch it transform completely with a drop of water onto the paper. Colors mix and form a new gradient that is as unique as each person’s quarantine experience.
We have been forced apart in this pandemic. But in many ways, we have also been forced closer together. I feel the unique yet analogous experiences we have all had in 2020 bonds us. We have all lost things. We have all gained things.
